Biological Sciences at CSN

Current Article/Event:

Dec 6

Last year the first confirmed extraterrestrial object passed through our Solar System; we named it 'Oumuamua. It was not an asteroid, and not a comet. Could it have been a construct of an extraterrestrial civilization? As unlikely as that sounds, scientists have not been able to say, "No, it's not." The first paper talks about how 'Oumuamua was unusual, while the second speculates on whether, if it were an artifact, it could have survived the trip.

Non-gravitational acceleration in the trajectory of 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua)

Past Articles:

Nov 29

SciNight is teaming up with One Book / One College to present a special discussion event on Dreamland:The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic.(copies of the book are also available in the library)

Scientific writings can be misunderstood and misrepresented. Let's discuss the role research and scientific communications played in the current opiate crisis. We will focus our discussion on the following chapters and scientific communications:

The Molecule (pg36), The Poppy (pg52), The Pain (pg80), The Revolution (pg92), The Landmark Study (pg107), Purdue (pg125), Swing with OxyContin (pg132), The Treatment is You (pg310)

Addiction Rare in Patients Treated with Narcotics

A 1980 Letter on the Risk of Opioid Addiction

A 1980 Letter on the Risk of Opioid Addiction Appendix

Nov 15

Deactivation of Prions

A prion is an infectious protein particle. In other words, it is a protein that causes disease. Prions mainly cause encephalopathies, spongy brain tissue. Some examples of the diseases caused by prions are Mad Cow Disease, Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and Chronic Wasting Disease. One of the largest problems with dealing with prions is that there are very few ways to destroy them. At the moment, incineration is the only sure way. Exciting news, is that there is an enzyme found in lichens that could hold the answer. Serine protease has been shown, in laboratory experiments to deactivate prions. This could be the start to discovering an in vivo way to combat this pathogen.

We will discuss this paper:

Degradation of the Disease-Associated Prion Protein by a Serine Protease from Lichens

Commentary on paper to help understand it better:

Lichens Unexpected anti-prion agents?

Nov 1

How did the humongous sauropod dinosaurs like brontosaurus get so big?

Diets of Giants: The Nutritional Value of Sauropod Diet During the Mesozoic

Oct 25

Barriers to Women in Science

What happens to women on the way to becoming scientists? Why do fewer women make it through the process?

The Leaky Pipeline for Postdocs: A study of the time between receiving a PhD and securing a faculty job for male and female astronomers

Oct 4

This week's paper shows the new idea that plants use signaling molecules for long range communication similarly to animals long range signaling

Glutamate triggers long-distance calcium-based plant defense signaling

Supplementary information for reference but will most likely not need to print and bring with you to the meeting

Supplementary Information

Sept 20

The most important molecules for life are proteins, which are made of amino acids. Where do amino acids come from?

A new family of extraterrestrial amino acids in the Murchison meteorite

Supplementary Information

Sept 6

Feed the bacteria in the gut and increase mood?

Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis -- Prebiotics Have Anxiolytic and Antidepressant-like Effects and Reverse the Impact of Chronic Stress in Mice